November 5th, 2014
It was a birthday like no other for North Dakota last Sunday, Nov. 2. The state turned 125 with its sister South Dakota, marking a quasquicentennial of statehood.
In a century-and-a-quarter, North Dakota’s racked up quite a history, with even more legendary events before it even became a state. Here’s a rundown of North Dakota’s greatest hits.
We all know the Corps of Discovery…
October 29th, 2014
By Aaron Barth
A couple days ago HPR’s J Earl Miller called to chat. In that conversation, we spoke about the Nov. 4 election, and also about what a person might do to motivate others to vote. We agreed that there was little we could do to motivate people to vote.
Our conversation turned toward history. I said to J that since history is a continuous sequence of causes and effects, it means that history, or research and knowledge of it, informs a voter today. This includes knowing the…
October 22nd, 2014
Community is the main focus of the new retail boutique in downtown Fargo. Laura Morris and Jodi Regan are two driven, passionate women who manage the new boutique Others.
Others is aimed at improving the three pillars of a strong community: education, job creation and public health.
The store strives for sustainability: the ability to fuel itself through the buying and selling of its products.
“We wanted to stray…
October 22nd, 2014
Let’s be honest, everyone loves a good ghost story, or at least the vast majority of us do. But fear not, dear readers, the ghost at hand is a benevolent one. I first heard of The Lady in Gray while looking over a copy of “Spooky Creepy North Dakota” by Lori L. Orser. The book explores ghost stories, hauntings and rural legends all within our great state. The Lady in Gray just so happens to hail from Sims, N.D.
Sims is a…
October 22nd, 2014
The local broadcasting company that brings us “Prairie Musicians,” “Prairie Mosaic,” “Prairie Pulse,” “Arthur,” “Downton Abbey,” “Main Street,” and hours upon hours of other engaging educational programs through television and radio is celebrating 50 years service.
Now the community can find a way to give back to one of its resident staples. On Saturday, Oct. 25, Prairie Public is putting on a…
October 16th, 2014

By Russell Ford Dunker
What began with a hand-me-down trailer house headquarters and television transmitter tower on the edge of Fargo is now a region-wide television and radio network, employing about 150 people in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot. At 50, Prairie Public Television is not showing signs of being over-the-hill. Rather, it continues to embrace technological advances in the medium while remaining remarkably close to the same mission it has had from the beginning – to deliver…
September 25th, 2014

In Fargo, it’s now possible for freelance designers to be co-workers with university professors. It’s now much more possible for a web developer to get over-the-shoulder feedback from a creative writer, or vice versa. Or perhaps a tech entrepreneur needs advice from a coworking attorney. In many cases, people might just find whom they need advice from in the kitchen or in on their way to the bathroom.
While all these professionals may not be employed by the same person, who’s to…
September 4th, 2014
A new local atheist organization is hoping to spur much discussion on science, religion and humanity and put Fargo on the map as place to host such discussions when it holds the first ever local conference of its kind on those subjects on Sept. 13 and 14 at the Doublewood Inn.
Great Plains Atheists are hosting the inaugural secular convention Zeteticon, whose name comes from the word zetetic, which means proceeding by inquiry or a by seeker. Zeteticon organizer and Great Plains Atheists…
July 25th, 2014

Unity North Dakota, an organization formed to speak out against white supremacist Craig Cobb’s attempts to take over the small town of Leith, N.D., will celebrate its one year anniversary of fighting for “cultural, ethnic, racial and community unity” and the defeat of Cobb with an eclectic all day festival on Saturday, July 26 at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds in West Fargo.
The event will feature live music (including everything from the punk of Les Dirty Frenchmen to the folk…
July 17th, 2014

It’s TED Talks time. Tickets are about to sell out. So this article is a complete, rapid-fire attempt to convince you to go to TEDxFargo this July 24 or TEDxYouth@Fargo this July 25. Here goes …
Twenty-two of some of the brightest minds in the area, and in the country, have designed and developed speeches with some of the most exciting and thought provoking ideas imaginable – all for you, as an audience member, to consume, be inspired by and take action with. There will be about 800…